Do you think CGC will ever start grading non-comic mags?

[dekeuk]

CGC has already moved into the business of grading photographs, so they are expanding. Do you think they will start grading non-comic magazines like Sports Illustrated, LIFE, LOOK, People, Playboy, etc?

 

It occurs to me that mags are very common, you can still buy LIFE mags from the 1950's with Marilyn Monroe on the cover for under $20 on ebay. But try finding one that CGC would consider a 9.0 or better with no address label. It would be an almost impossible task. These got beat up and nobody stored them properly. And mags take more abuse than comics from long term storage. Also, dealers have cut apart so many mags in the last 10 years to sell the ads because the ads are worth more than the mag itself.

 

This leads me to believe all old mags are much scarcer today than they were just 10 years ago, especially the mags that did not have celebrity covers, they are always cut apart for the ads.

 

Will we one day see people buying an old LIFE magazine rated CGC 9.6 best know copy in the census for hundreds (or thousands) of dollars?

 

Opinions?

[valiantman]

I thought this would happen before comics got graded, honestly.

 

But in 2001... CGC started... and no one's grading Life, Sports Illustrated, Playboy, etc., yet.

 

Maybe PGX should give up the comic market and switch.

[dekeuk]

 

The thing is that most non-comic magazine collectors do not seem to really care about condition. You don't see LIFE magazine being graded as VG, FN, NM, etc. Most just want a copy of the mag that looks decent. But comics have been strictly graded since the first guide in 1970. Condition has always been important to comic collectors.

 

If any non-comic mag was worth collecting in high grade, I think it might be Sports Illustrated because:

 

1. it was published a long time

2. it is still published

3. most copies get thrown out

4. many had address labels on them from day one

5. it has famous characters (athletes) on the covers

6. different issues are wourth vastly different amount (i.e. key issues)

7. the genre has hardcore (sports) fans

 

Does this sound familiar? It sounds a lot like comic book collectors. I know people already collect Sports Illustrated, but I think if CGC ever started grading the mags, we would see high grade 1950s and 1960s issues skyrocket in value, just like the comics world.

 

Opinions?

[heinlein99]

I think pulps and monster mags would be better candidates, but yes, sports mags are a market waiting to be tapped.

 

Life magazine may be a bad example here because it's oversized.